SPD: 15 Years After
by RadiatedMarshmallow
Summary: Ten years after the war with Grumm, corruption has taken over the world. Current SPD commander, Schuyler Tate has no choice but to bring a new squad of rangers into hiding as a league of assasins. After five years of training, they are finally ready to begin their mission.
1. New Beginnings

**Author's Notes:  
Oh no! It's been too long D: Unfortunately, I believe I am going to have to put my current stories on hiatus until I can shake off this terrible writer's block. However, I have created this in the process. I don't want to bore you on all the details that went into creating this lovely first chapter and the many many OCs, so I will try to keep it as short as possible.  
A long long time ago, as I was writing my other stories, I began to get ideas for a story with five original, new rangers. One night, I fell asleep as I was sorting out the details on how one could take on the challenge of creating five good OCs. Then I happened to dream up a team. Funny thing is, the green ranger was female; something never seen in PR history. Sometime down the road, I also got inspiration from listening to the albums This is War (30 Seconds to Mars) and Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys (My Chemical Romance) (I highly recommend both albums), watching Star Wars, as well as other action-related shows such as the Walking Dead. All of these things portrayed humans at their worst, doing what they could to survive, some giving up morality in the process. I soon got the vision of a post-war/on the verge of mass murder/genocide/apocolypse type world with a corrupt government. The rangers would be an illegal assassin team working to stop it. So after many long nights of typing, chapter one was created. I hope you enjoy.**

**Disclaimer:  
Do not own anything publicly recognizable.**

**Warnings:  
**This should apply to the whole story. Any updates will be stated at the top of the chapter that changes it.  
**This story contains references and possibly scenes of: Inapropriate Language, Violence, Torture**

Ten years after the fall of the Troobian Empire, Space Patrol Delta was a superpower of earth. However, this was soon to be threatened.

Short after the near conquest of earth, the United States government created a new defense system for the country. It was called the Imperial Army. The Imperial Army was a squad of specially trained soldiers who would aid SPD in the case of another invasion of earth. It was lead by General Lance Hawthorn. Unfortunately, the program never served the purpose it was originally intended for. After gaining much popularity, General Hawthorn began to become power hungry. He no longer wanted control over an army; he wanted control of the world. Being a smart man, he knew that it wouldn't come easy. He needed his army's help and soon began training them to work for his cause.

After he believed his soldiers were ready, Hawthorn seized the government, assassinating the president, his family, and all his advisors. He spared not a second in declaring himself as divine leader and using the Imperial Army, who was under his complete control, to enforce the situation. Anyone who protested was annihilated. SPD was the world's only hope of maintaining the peace.

However, Hawthorn quickly recognized them as a threat. He soon ordered that the earth base be shut down, but the cadets would not go down without a fight. After many weeks of battling negotiations with the base commander, Schuyler Tate, he sent the Imperial Army in on an overnight raid and engaged in a bloody battle with the cadets and anyone who disobeyed him. By morning, everyone was either dead, or taken as prisoner. With SPD gone, Hawthorn began his conquest of earth.

Little did Hawthorn know, Commander Tate was one step ahead of him. When the base was ordered to be shut down, he knew that everyone involved with SPD was in extreme danger. He anticipated that Hawthorn wasn't going to take any negotiations and that there would be blood.

"Whatdo you suggest we do then?" asked Bridge Carson, the base's current red ranger, leader of all the Power Rangers, and Sky's second in command. "We can't save everyone here, he'll most likely find us and still kill us all! And what about Jules? I promised my mom that she wouldn't be in any danger when she enrolled in the academy…" he trailed off in panic.

"I have a way," Sky replied softly, "It's fucking insane, but it's our only hope. And don't worry, both you and Juliet will be fine."

He laid a reassuring hand on Bridge's shoulder.

"Now you need to do as I say, and quickly, I'm not sure how much time we have left."

Bridge nodded, "As long as it helps," he replied.

"Bring me the files of the top five cadets we have here, then erase every piece of information about them in our databases. Make it as if they never existed."

The red ranger gave the commander a salute and hurried to his task.

xxx

September 25, 2040 (Five years after Hawthorn came into power)

She struck a match, cutting through the dark, cold, gloom in her room. With the new government officers greedily hogging the little power that was left, it was nothing out of the ordinary for the electricity to go out. She shivered at the slight chill that hung in the air. It was only fall. This winter was going to be hell. After inspecting the warm glow for a few seconds, she felt around her room for a candle. Once the object was found, she placed the light onto the wick, igniting it. "Ouch!" she hissed.

The match had burnt too low, singing her vinyl glove along with a couple of her fingers. "Well this isn't going to do me much good, now is it?" she mumbled, inspecting the large hole on the forefinger. Her quiet solitude was soon interrupted. "Juliet, I'm home!"

Juliet smiled at her mother's voice, picked up her candle, and carefully made her way to her mother's voice.

"Mom?" she called, as she made her way into the kitchen.

She was answered with the strike of a match and the sight of her mother lighting her own candle. "Hi sweetheart," her mother replied, "Happy birthday! How does it feel to be nineteen?"

"So you did remember," Juliet replied with a smile, making her way across the room and into her mother's arms.

"Why would I forget?" she replied, "And I have a surprise for you."

She reached into her purse and pulled out a pair of new vinyl gloves. "How did you know?" Juliet asked, "I just ruined mine a few seconds ago…"

"Must be a coincidence," her mother shrugged, "I saw you eyeing them in the store one time. I figured your old ones were getting a bit torn up. Plus, these ones are a bit thicker. They'll keep the cold out better and they may work at helping you keep your walls up."

"Thanks mom." She began taking her old gloves off and replacing them with the new pair.

"I also got you a cake too!" her mother exclaimed, "Go light a few more candles around the house and I'll get things set up."

After illuminating almost every room in the house, Juliet returned to a bright kitchen.

"Really mom, nineteen candles?" she said, "You really shouldn't have. Between the gloves and the cake, you must have spent most of your money for this week already!"

"Oh child," her mom replied, "I think we can make do. Make a wish!"

She rolled her eyes and blew out the candles. Her mother smiled and gave her a small kiss on her head. However, she couldn't help but notice the hint of despair in her daughter's attitude. "What's the matter child?" she said, hugging her close.

"I wish he was here," Juliet replied quietly.

"I know you do, but you shouldn't let that ruin your happiness."

Tears filled Juliet's eyes. "I just want him back… is it so bad that I just happen to show it?" she mumbled.

"I know honey, we all do, but you have to learn to accept things and move on. You know that's what he would want you to do…"

Juliet ripped away from her mother's hold, offended by her seemingly insensitive attitude. "Move on?" she snapped, "Your son has been missing for five years and may possibly be dead! He's missed so much! I would think you would at least be a little upset!"

"I am upset," her mother retorted, "I just choose to not let it bother me every second of my life. I can afford to be happy every once in a while unlike you!"

"You weren't there!" Juliet cut in, "You don't know what it felt like to just sit there and let it happen, knowing there was absolutely nothing to do to help him."

Her mother was silent. "Now if you excuse me," Juliet continued, "I'm going for a walk."

She made her way to the front door, grabbing her new gloves and her coat hanging on the rack in the kitchen. Before she could take another step, her mother stopped her. "No you're not," she replied, "It's past curfew; Watch will be out. You could be taken, arrested, or worse, shot. I know I've said it a billion times, but I was terrified for your life when the base was invaded. You have no clue what I went through during those two weeks that you were missing! I'm not going to risk losing you again!"

"Well if I get caught, who knows, they may lock me up in the same place that they're hiding Bridge in. Then I'll be one step closer to finding him."

"You honestly don't believe he's still alive, do you? They probably executed him years ago…"

"_You're his mother for god's sake!_" she shrieked, interrupting her mother, "You're supposed to never lose hope! When dad left you, you went to work for hours every single day at a terrible job just so you could support your children. When Bridge was first sent out to fight in the first war with the rangers, you never lost hope, even though it was obvious that the odds of him coming back were near to nothing. When I enrolled in the academy, you still allowed me to go, even if you were terrified that I would suffer a worse fate than him. Now when your son goes missing, you instantly have no faith in his survival! What is different this time?"

"Everything," she replied, "Everything has changed… With Hawthorn and the Army, there's just no hope anymore. I don't want to lose hope, but it's just the realistic thing to do now. Do you honestly believe we'll ever get out of this? I mean maybe sometime in the far future, but in your lifetime, no."

"No," she replied, " I don't believe things will change. I _know._"

With that she pulled on her coat and moved around her mother to go out the front door and into the night.

xxx

The old SPD earth base was now a dilapidated wreck. Soon after the fall of the organization, Hawthorn had declared that the base be destroyed. Surrounded by an old rusty fence, the building was nothing but demolished crumbles of foundation, weeds, and vines. No one was allowed in the area due to safety regulations. The government had said that upon the discovery that SPD was running a secret nuclear weapons program, it was presumed that the area was filled with toxic radiation. This didn't stop some from visiting, though, for most knew that almost all information from the new government was censored and corrupt.

Juliet hid in a cluster of bushes, watching the building for any signs of movement. After a few short minutes, she stripped her right hand of its glove and made a sweeping motion with her arm, causing a slight green glow. No signs of movement still. She then cautiously made her way out of the hiding spot and to the fence. A heavy, seemingly rusted over padlock barred the entrance. However, this was just a piece of camouflage. She reached into her pocket and retrieved a small green flash drive, which she plugged into the bottom of the lock. After a few seconds of soft scanning noises, the lock let out an approving beep and the fence swung open. Juliet did one final scan of the area to make sure that she was alone, and then proceeded inside.

Although the ruins of the building were deemed unsafe, the secret underground zord bay was still in tact due to the fact that only top SPD officials knew of its existence and location. Many weeds and vines, as well as a large piece of fallen concrete wall concealed the entrance. Juliet made her way to the piece of concrete and wedged herself in a small opening on the ground. Once she managed to push through, she fell into the cavern that was the entrance to the bay. She felt along the wall for the authorization panel. After finding it, she plugged the green flash drive into it and the computers read the many codes stored inside it. "Access Granted" a small screen flashed at her. With that, a large door swung open revealing the inside.

xxx

When the earth base had been closed down five years ago, Sky Tate, the commander at the time, had been a step ahead of General Hawthorn's devious plans. He had made plans of his own. Before the Imperial Army had invaded the base, he had his current red ranger, Bridge Carson, retrieve the files of his top five cadets at the academy and remove all of their information from the databases. These five cadets were then summoned to his office.

"I have summoned you all because I personally chose you to enter a secret operation and a new squad," he said, "You must tell no one, not even your own families or your closest friends of this. Understood?"

"_Yes sir!" All five cadets shouted._

"_You all can stand at ease now, because the news I am about to tell you is hard to hear. General Hawthorn has become extremely corrupt and now sees SPD as a threat. This is obviously very dangerous for us. I received information from one of my former squad members working in an investigation that he is planning an attack on the base. We don't know exactly when or how this will be carried out. This is why I ask you all to be on full alert and ready for anything"._

"_I have had my red ranger and my number two in command to remove any information on all of you off of our databases, that way if we are to be hacked, all of you will not be listed. Therefore, none of you will be targeted or hunted down when you are in hiding. It will be as if you were never involved in the academy. Now, on to the mission and your new squad; it is obvious that SPD on earth will soon be gone. I worry for the future of this planet with only Hawthorn in charge. That is why I am planning on creating a league of assassins to try to bring his men under control and will hopefully one day bring Mr. Hawthorn himself to justice. This will be the new squad of Power Rangers."_

_The young cadets looked upon each other with surprise. "I am going to assign you with your morphers and rankings today." Sky continued, "This may come as a shocking surprise to you, however, I cannot stress strongly enough how important it is that no one knows about this. The future of earth is at stake."_

_Sky made his way over to a tall, muscular, blond sixteen-year-old boy. "Cadet Levi Thomas, I assign you as your squad leader. I feel as if your confidence and quick thinking will make you an excellent candidate to lead this squad to success. Here is the new red morpher."_

_He handed him a small object that resembled a flip phone. _

_Next, he moved to a tall, skinny fifteen-year-old, girl with light brown hair. "Lily Austin, I assign you to rank number five and the pink morpher. Your desire to succeed and your skills in all areas at the academy will make you a great addition to the team. Protect this planet well."_

_Then came a gangly boy with black, shaggy hair and square glasses, who was fourteen. "Cameron Janes, you are the number four in the squad and your color is yellow. I believe your wit and intelligence will help move this team forward without a doubt."_

_After that was another boy, aged fifteen, with soft brown hair and a rather athletic stature. "Brett Johnson, you are the blue ranger at rank number two. Your excellent skills in combat and strength will be a great asset. It should be an honor to serve with you."_

_Finally was the petite, fourteen-year-old girl with dark brown hair and blue eyes, who so much resembled a certain former cadet. "And last but not least, Juliet Carson. You will be number three and the green ranger. I chose you for this position because I see so much of your brother in you. You have his intelligence and devotion to everything that is right. Your skills, as well as your genetic power will be just what this team needs to complete itself. Congratulations."_

_With that, he handed her the green morpher._

"_Now when the attack occurs, you shall all make your way to the secret underground zord bay. This is where the new underground SPD headquarters will be based. Instructions on how to reach this location are pre programmed into your morphers. Once Hawthorn's men have reached the base, you will have exactly ten minutes to make it to the new location. I cannot give you any more or less time. Once the time has expired, the bay will be sealed with an extra strength bomb-resistant door. There will be no way to unlock or open it until exactly two weeks later. I'm not exactly sure how he plans to demolish us, therefore we must prepare for the worst, meaning even a nuclear attack. There will be only enough rations and oxygen for the five of you, Bridge, our research specialist, and I to reside inside the bay, which means you cannot bring anyone along with you. I suggest you all get very well acquainted, rangers, you'll be living and working together in a matter of days."_

xxx

When she crept inside, she smiled when she noticed the warm light streaming across the dark hallway from her commander's office. "Knock, knock," she said as she approached the room, tapping her knuckles on the doorframe.

"Jules," Commander Tate looked up from his work on his desk, "What brings you here so late?"

"No objective in particular," she replied, "I just came here to ask if I could use my room for the night, and I also wanted to check the progress on the project."

"Well the answer to the first question is a definite yes. Coming here at this time was risky enough, I can't send you out again. Now for matters concerning the project, I believe Dr. Canfield is on his final revisions. He has informed me that if everything goes as planned, the stage one hybrids will be complete and ready for human trials. He should be working on it now, if you would like to help."

Juliet smiled and began to leave the room.

"And another thing, Jules," the commander said, stopping her in her tracks, "Please don't just run off whenever you argue with your mom. She really does need you now more than ever."

He smiled at her stare of disbelief. "I've known you since you were five," he continued, "It isn't too difficult to read you, you know."

She left the room and then immediately rounded the corner down the hall from Commander Tate's office to reach the lab. She placed her finger on the security pad so it could read the prints and give her access. Once it granted her entrance, the chrome doors opened smoothly to reveal a vast room filled with the latest technology being developed by the now secret SPD.

An abundance of laser guns, high-power grenades, and other advanced weaponry was stored in a case on the left wall. Large monitors with various blueprints and data covered the adjacent wall. In between were various lab stations, some with complex chemical mixtures being created, others with computer and robot hardware being fixed. At the back of the room was a tall, lean man wearing a lab coat and a welding mask, working. Small tufts of soft brown hair stuck out of the top of the mask. The item he was working on was being covered by a screen divider."

"Doctor Canfield," she called out as she approached his workspace, hoping to be heard over the many pieces of running machinery, "I just dropped in tonight and I was wondering if you needed any help with things. Oops…"

She had accidentally run into a table, causing a flask to fall and break. Luckily, she remembered the protocol. She bent over to see if the flask had been labeled so she could determine what chemical it was and how to clean it up. Before she could thoroughly inspect it, the room suddenly got quieter as the sounds of some of the machines stop.

"Who's there? " The question would have seemed much more threatening if it didn't come from a smooth British accent. "Levi, Cameron!" it continued, 'That better not be you! I've already told you a billion times to stop attempting to sneak peaks! The screen is here for a reason: to prevent blokes like you from ruining the surprise! And did I hear you break a beaker? I swear if you almost poison us all with biohazardous chemicals again, I will make sure Commander Tate will send you to the streets this time!"

The man left the work station and raised his welding mask, revealing his relatively attractive appearance. He was a young man with a well-defined face and dark, chocolate brown eyes. The tufts of hair were shown to have belonged to a full head hair styled in a tousled type of way.

"Calm down Dr. Canfield!" Juliet hollered back, peeking up from behind the lab table. "It's just me! I came in to see if you needed any help, but I did happen to knock over the flask on that table. I hope it isn't anything too dangerous…"

She motioned to where the spill had taken place.

He sighed and took his welding mask off. "Fortunately, that was only water." he replied, "Try to be a little more careful next time, okay?"

"Don't worry I will," said Juliet, "So anyway, the commander said that you may be in the need of some help?"

Dr. Canfield shook his head. "Unfortunately, I want this one to be a surprise for you all, which means no helping. Luckily for you though, I believe that the big reveal will be tomorrow so you won't have to wait long. As you probably heard, Levi and Cameron have been all over me just to get one look."

Juliet laughed at her persistent squad members. "Well since you don't need any help, it's probably best that I get to bed. Goodnight Doctor."

"Goodnight Jules."

After leaving Dr. Canfield's office, she headed to the lounge for a snack. It was just like the one that the old academy had, with plenty of tables and comfortable chairs for the rangers to socialize at. It even had one of those food generators that created whatever the user selected off of it's programmed menu. "_I wonder if this thing has cake; I didn't get to eat any at home…" _She thought.

She made her way over to the touch screen and skimmed though the items until she found the item she wanted: carrot cake. A slice of the scrumptious pastry appeared before her in a matter of seconds from pushing "generate". Juliet eagerly grabbed the plate and a fork and made her way to sit down on one of the large couches. Once she managed to get herself comfortable, legs tucked under her, the sound of feet on the hard floor cut through the silence. Soon after, a tall muscular blond boy came around the corner. "Okay!" he whispered sharply, "I don't think anyone can see!"

A skinnier boy with black hair and square glasses joined him. The blond made a motion to move forward and the pair crept across the room.

"You have got to be shitting me right now!" Juliet snapped as she whirled her head around to face them. "With your surveillance and stealth skills, we're lucky you both live down here instead of having to sneak in every day! Honestly, you two would've had our cover blown within the first week!"

The two boys jumped at the sudden sound of her voice interrupting their stealth operation.

"Jules!" The blond yelled, "What are you doing here?"

"I think the better question is, what are you doing out here?" She replied, "I already talked to Dr. Canfield; I don't think he'd be very pleased to see you trying to sneak looks again."

"We're not trying to sneak looks… and hey! You never answered _my _question!" the blond retorted.

"Fair enough," she replied, "I got in an argument with my mother and today is just one of those days where I don't want to be around arguments, so I came here to spend some time with you and check up on things if that's okay with you, Levi, Mr. Bossy Red Ranger."

Levi rolled his eyes at her.

The black-haired boy eyed the piece of cake in her hand. "Oh Jules, I'm so sorry! I can't believe we forgot your birthday!" he said.

"It's fine, Cameron," she replied, "But can you both make it up by having some with me? I never had the chance to eat any before I left."

"That would be fine," Levi replied as he and his fellow ranger made their way to the food generator to create their own pieces.

"So _did_ you manage to see what Canfield's been working on?" Cameron asked her.

"No, he has his work space covered pretty well, thanks to you two. However he did say it would be ready by tomorrow. We' probably get the big reveal when Lily and Brett get here."

"It better be pretty damn awesome with how long he's had us waiting," Levi cut in, "It's been pretty boring sitting down here with nothing but research and training to do. Hopefully he's found made us our new suits so these morphers can actually do something besides games!"

He pulled the object off his belt and flipped it open. "They're pretty much nothing but glorified gameboys with limited messaging abilities at the moment…"

"Well whatever it is," Juliet replied, "let's hope that it's something that will get our missions started and bring us one step closer to bringing the world back to normal."

She finished the last few bites of her cake. "I don't know about you two, but I don't want to be all sleepy tomorrow for the big reveal. I'm off to bed. Goodnight boys, see you both in the morning?"

Her fellow rangers nodded and both gave her goodnight hugs. She then made her way down the hallway to each of the rangers' rooms.

Due to the fact that they had to be in hiding for a couple of weeks, bedrooms were installed in the secret base. Dr. Canfield and Commander Tate's rooms were in the hallway on the west end and the rangers' hallway was on the east. The rooms were nothing special. Each entrance was marked by a door, painted to match every rangers' color. They were the same color as their doors on the inside. The space provided was only enough for one bed, a desk, a dresser and some shelves above the bed.

Because she lived at home, Juliet's room wasn't as personalized as Brett or Levi's were. There were a few books that she had left on the shelves for nights like these as well as a small amount of personal items to add a little bit of her to it. But besides that, there wasn't much.

She looked through her dresser to find the extra set of pajamas that she kept there and once they were found, put them on. Then, she crawled under the soft green comforter in her bed and quickly fell asleep.

**More Author's Notes:  
As you may have noticed, there are and will be many flashback moments in this story, explaining what happened before the takeover/when the base was attacked. Many questions will be answered in these. Don't feel as if you missed something if you are a little confused on certain events, all questions will more than likely be answered c: Please review.**


	2. The First Fight

**Author's Notes:  
Oh no! I'm so sorry I haven't been able to update! D: Basically, I had this chapter mostly written, but then my mono virus decided to become active again, making me super tired and unproductive for weeks. After I was finally feeling better, _a wild herd of finals appeared! _But now since it's the holidays and everything, I hope I will be able to get a lot more done c:  
Just a quick little note on how the chapters will be laid out: I plan on doing the first scene as a flashback from the night of the attack, or somewhere around that time period. This will explain any holes that you find not answered yet. Don't worry, I planned this!**

**Disclaimer: Do not own anything publicly recognizable.**

September 2035

A loud bang erupted within the SPD earth base, awaking Juliet from her sleep. This could only mean one thing: the attack had begun. She quickly reached under her bed to find the emergency duffle she had packed when she had learned of the mission. Inside were all of her most important personal belongings as well as clothes to last her through the two weeks. She slung the strap over her shoulder and headed out of her room.

The fluorescent lit hallways were a scene of chaos. Screaming cadets were scattered everywhere and the ground trembled as bombs as bullets were fired. A terrified girl, no older than ten, latched onto her arm and looked up to her with fear stricken eyes. _"Please help me!" _she shrieked, _"I can't die like this"_

Juliet wanted nothing more than to pick the young girl up and take her to safety, but she knew exactly what she had to do. If the army were to capture her alive, there was no telling what they would do. They could hold her for ransom against her family, or worse, torture her for information that she wouldn't have. There was only one sure way of making sure she would be absolutely safe. _"I'm so sorry about this, but you'll just have to trust me, okay sweetie?"_

The girl nodded at her. _"I promise, this won't hurt one bit."_

Juliet raised her laser blaster to the girl's head and pulled the trigger. With that, she promptly dropped the body and sprinted, sobbing, down the hall to the zord bay, not wanting to witness the massacre that was just beginning.

xxx

When the three rangers awoke the next morning, they helped themselves to a breakfast of bacon, eggs, and oatmeal. As they were busy tending to their appetites, a young brunette girl in a pink tracksuit made her way into the lounge area. "I got a message from Canfield this morning saying there was something he wanted us all to see," she said, getting the trio's attention.

"Oh, good morning Lily," said Levi replied through a mouth full of oatmeal, "And yes, he's finally showing us what he's been designing for the past billion years. It's about time!"

Juliet gave him a sharp elbow to the ribs, "What he's trying to say," she said, "Is that Dr. Canfield has spent so long on the project because he wants us to have the best technology and training possible, even if it takes a while. Today is the day that we are ready."

Lily smiled at her fellow female teammate. "So has Brett gotten here yet?" she asked.

"What do you think?" Cameron replied, "Has he ever been on time for anything?"

"Excuse me, but I do believe I am on time today!"

A tall brunette boy joined the group. Levi gave him a small nod of acknowledgment. "Morning Brett."

"Good morning you too," Brett replied. "And to comment on Cameron's accusation that I would be late today, do you really think I would even be late for the reveal of Canfield's big creation and the start of our real mission?"

"Yes!" The entire group replied in unison.

As everyone was busy poking fun at Brett's constant tardiness, Commander Tate entered the room. "Good morning rangers."

Each of the five young cadets turned around to face their superior. "So I assume you all received information about the finished project," the commander continued, "You also know that your new mission starts today."

All of the rangers nodded. "Good. Now I have a small gift to give to you all today; Dr. Canfield, would you be nice enough to bring out the boxes."

The young man appeared rounding the corner dressed in his usual lab coat and slacks, carrying a stack of boxes. When he reached the group of eager rangers, he handed each one the box labeled with their name.

Inside them were custom made uniforms. The top consisted of a plain shirt in each ranger's color, tees for the men and tanks for the girls, and a motorcycle jacket that matched. The jackets zipped on the far right, only a few inches from the shoulder. This divided the colored fabric from the black. The right arm was accented with each ranger's color and a sewn on SPD emblem; the left had the rank number in silver on it. The cuffs on each sleeve were black.

The bottoms were a pair of plain, black pants that were a strange mixture of denim, which allowed them to be maneuvered in more easily. "Rangers," Commander Tate cut in, "since we are starting our official mission today, I felt it would be best if you had official uniforms to carry it out in. These will be stored down here in the base and you will be required to wear them whenever you are inside or out finishing a deed. I would like you all dressed and ready in fifteen minutes for the presentation. Understood?"

"Yes sir!"

xxx

The new fancy-clad rangers arrived in the main lobby of the new base just in time. Commander Tate smiled as they came into the room. "You all are starting to look like a serious team now," he said, "I remember when I first assembled you. I honestly feared for the future of this operation. However, I think you all have grown these past five years and I now truly believe that this will work. It will be a pleasure bringing the world back to justice with you five."

The rangers all saluted their commander in respect. "Now," he continued, "I will turn things over to Dr. Canfield, who has the latest technology update for you all."

Dr. Canfield nodded and stepped forward. "Last time I had you all in here for my next 'greatest invention'," he began, "It was for the new sunlight lamps that I created for the base that prevents me, your commander, Cameron and Levi from having vitamin D-deprived lives of albinism. I know, it wasn't _that _amazing for most of you, but I promise this time it will be much more interesting for you all."

The rangers all laughed. "I would like to introduce you to your first ever morpher software update!" Dr. Canfield exclaimed.

He pressed a few buttons on his data pad, which produced a hologram of a suit of armor. "Now it's not much at the moment, but as of now, some of the basics in the morphed suit consist of a bullet-proof vest, armor around the legs and arms, which is color coded to each of your colors, and a helmet equipped with targeting software and night vision. It also comes with a small assortment of weapons including a handgun with five extra magazines, two butterfly knives, a switchblade, and a few grenades. Any questions?"

Brett raised his hand. "I have a question," he said, "When do we get to use these things? They look absolutely sweet!"

Dr. Canfield laughed. "Very soon I promise," he replied, "In fact, if you all could hand over your morphers now, they could all be programmed by the end of today."

The rangers didn't hesitate. Each reached for his or her belt, retrieved the objects, and more than happily handed them over. "While I get these programmed," Dr. Canfield continued, "I think it's best that Commander Tate takes over from here and informs you all on your new command center and technology."

After the scientist left the room, Commander Tate reached for the wall opposite of them. "I have been waiting to show you all this ever since the beginning," he said.

He pushed a small button that revealed a thumb pad. After allowing the machine to scan him, two slide doors opened and he made his way inside. "This is main command center," he explained.

Inside was a modern looking space with various monitors covering the walls. "Over here," Sky continued as he traveled to an area near the back of the room, "Are each of your work spaces. You each have a desk as well as a computer, which will connect to the data pads that we will supply you all with later today. These will be used to fill out reports regarding to the missions, as well as doing research, and communicating with everyone."

The group then made their way to the wall on the right side of the room. "And this is the exit you will all use when being sent out on missions. Because you will not always have the time to run a stealth mission out the main entrance, we have built a tunnel that runs about a mile away downtown so the confidentiality of our location will not be as much at risk. For situations that are farther away, there are also high speed motorcycles down there for each of you, as well as an exit ramps for them and other vehicles we may add later."

Next was the island at the center of the room. "This is the central computer system that runs all of the monitors that you see around the room. The purpose of this is to run surveillance of most corners of the city. It also serves as our main way of communication and location technology with every single one of your morphers. It is the main server for the entire morphing grid."

The rangers all nodded in understanding. "I know," the commander continued, "It's a lot to take in, but you'll all learn the ropes before you know it. Do any of you have questions?"

"Yes sir," Lily replied, "The mission? What exactly is it? We are going to start today, aren't we?"

"It depends on if we need to or not. The first part of the mission is simply to keep the people safe. That means intervening in some complicated situations with the army. Our goal right now is to help keep the peace until my informer returns with the information we need to take matters further."

"And what are these matters exactly?" Cameron asked.

"One day, hopefully sooner than later, I hope that we shall be successful in assassinating the General. Then we shall set up a new government system, similar to what we had before he took the power. We need to put society back to normality and hopefully keep it that way."

"But what about the whole maintaining the peace thing?" Brett cut in, "How are we supposed to know what is going on outside if we're going to be in the base most of the time?"

"Excellent question," replied Sky, "Fortunately, I have an answer. When the old base was still in power, SPD had almost the entire city bugged; that's how we managed to keep tabs on most of the attacks happening. I had Cameron and Levi go out and reactivate everything and replace the systems that had been destroyed. We should be online now."

He turned to the large circular desk and pushed a few buttons. Seconds later, many of the monitors lit up, displaying the activities of various corners of the city.

"Any more questions?" he asked.

The rangers all shook their heads. "Good," he replied, "I guess we could all begin our basic command center operating training now."

With that he motioned for the group to follow him to each of their workspaces.

xxx

It was late at night and the rangers were still hard at work learning the ins and outs of the new technology that they were to be working with.

"Rangers!" came a call from outside the command center, "I believe you all will be very happy to learn that your morphers are finished programming!"

Dr. Canfield made his way into the command center in a rather pleased mood. All the rangers eagerly jumped from their seats and hurried over to receive their morpher. "Can we test them out? Please?" Juliet pleaded.

"Yeah, can we?" Brett asked. "I really want to see how great the targeting program works out for my shooting!"

"I'm afraid there's no time for that." Commander Tate interrupted, "Disturbance in sector six. It seems like another execution order from the camp."

Juliet turned to look at the monitor, fear in her eyes as she watched the soldiers lining groups of people up on the street in newly made trenches. "I don't think he's in there," Sky said, realizing her fear.

She let out a sigh of relief. "But no matter who is in that group, they are still innocent people and they need to be saved," he continued. "Quickly, I'll open the hatch to the tunnel. I suggest you take the bikes; it doesn't look like you have much time."

The rangers all hurried inside as the door was lifted, mounted the bikes, and hurried off. "Number One to command center; we need the quickest route possible. Where do we turn to?" asked Levi as they exited the tunnel.

"Make a right on fifth street," the commander replied, "It should be straight from there; only about two minutes."

Levi signaled the turn to his teammates.

They arrived at the scene just in time. The group of soldiers had themselves positioned before the crowd of people, guns raised and ready to shoot. All of the rangers stopped their bikes at the nearest corner and raced to the group. "I really don't think that's a good idea!" Brett shouted.

He produced his gun from his belt, aimed, and fired a warning shot into the nearest soldier's arm. Within milliseconds, the soldier fell to the ground in pain as the bullet struck him. Once the other men realized what had happened, the rangers were faced with about thirty loaded machine guns. "Morph!" Juliet shouted.

And that they did. They all reached for their morphers and pressed the activate button. "Stage one, activate!" They all yelled into the voice recognizers. Soon, they were all dressed in their new suits.

"Kill the lights!" said Cameron, "They won't be able to see that way."

Brett nodded and shot down the street lamps and spotlights that were lighting the road. Then, they all turned their night vision on. Apprehensive about the situation, the soldiers reached for the small flashlights on their belts. "Remember," Levi whispered over the communication system, "They don't know where the hell we are right now. Try to keep it that way. Knives only right now. I know we all want to pick up a gun and shoot every one of these bastards, but that will only give away our location. Only use a gun if you have to. Lily, get everyone to safety."

"Got it," Lily replied.

She gingerly made her way over to the crowd of civilians.

The remaining four rangers slowly made their way through the small army of soldiers, taking each one out with lethal strikes to the gut and spine. All was going as planned, until Cameron accidentally backed into one of the panicked soldiers who was trying to avoid the rangers' attacks. "I've got one here!" the young man shouted.

He didn't hesitate in snaking his arms around the boy's body, trapping him in a deathly tight grip that nearly choked him. "I've been caught!" Cameron called into his communicator.

"Guys! Let's get out of here!" the soldier shouted to his few remaining teammates, "We may not have them all, but I'm pretty sure with this one, they'll be running straight to our doorstep to save him."

The sounds of footsteps as well as waving lights approached the pair. The soldier began to drag Cameron away, but was stopped when a bullet whizzed through the air, hitting him straight in the head. Cameron untangled the now dead soldier's arms from his body. "Jesus Brett, that was literally inches away from me!" He shouted.

He turned to join his friends, but was stopped by a group of advancing soldiers. One shined a flashlight toward him. The rest held up their guns "Don't think you'll get away too easily now!" He sneered, "Take one more step and they will shoot. I think it'd be best if you made the decision to come with us."

"Oh, I don't think it is!" Juliet interjected.

She wrapped her arms around the man's head and twisted, snapping his neck. Then, she turned, to the rest of her group with her gun. _Bang, bang, bang. _Three were down and Cameron had now joined the fight. However, in the squabble of things, one managed to take Juliet in a chokehold. "Put down your gun," he ordered, "I won't let her go, but at least you both won't be harmed."

Cameron hesitated for a second and then dropped his weapons. "Good, good," mused the soldier, "Now, here's what's going to happen. You two are going to go on a nice little trip with me to the General's headquarters. I'm pretty sure he'll be happy to meet some of the people who helped in the mass murder of one of his squads."

"Mass murder?" Juliet said with venom in her voice, "I believe you're the one committing mass murder here. What else do you call gunning down a group of innocent civilians?"

The soldier laughed. "Sweetheart," he said, "these people were far from innocent. They were put here for a reason. They all were working against our General and our republic. They want nothing but anarchy and chaos for this world. We were only maintaining the peace."

Juliet struggled under his grip. "Now," the soldier continued, "I believe it is about time for us to go on our trip. I'm sure the General won't be too harsh towards the two of you; maybe just a lifetime in one of the camps, along with a few interrogation sessions. We'd love to learn more about your friends."

As he was about to make a move, one final gunshot rang through the air. Juliet felt a sharp sense of shock in her back and the soldier holding her fell over, screaming in pain. She turned to find him with a gunshot wound through his back and torso. Feeling down the back of her suit, she felt a bullet lodged in the vest. "Good job, Brett," she called over her communicator.

"Not Brett," replied a feminine voice, "I believe your fellow pink ranger is the one to thank for that."

"Lily?" asked Juliet.

"Yep," answered her teammate, stepping out of an alleyway. "Damn, that was a close one, don't you say."

"Yeah, a little too close for my liking. Cameron, are you okay?" she turned to the boy in yellow.

"Fine," he replied, "What happened to Brett and Levi?"

"They're okay. They shot down a few more before fleeing to the bikes. After I got everyone to safety, I followed." Lily replied, "I think the entire area's clear. Everyone's either dead or run away."

"Should we head back to base now?" Juliet asked.

"Yeah," Cameron replied, "I think it's best that we're as far away from the scene as possible when the General finds out about this."

He picked up his weapons from the ground and began to head back to where the bikes were hidden. Juliet and Lily followed.

xxx

A young man briskly made his way down the dim hallways of the Imperial Army's headquarters. He stood seemingly tall, stoic, and confident, however there were some slight things, such as the way he walked and the habitual chewing of his bottom lip that were a dead giveaway that something was upsetting him. When he made his way to a corner, he abruptly turned left, boots squeaking on the shiny, clean floor. He continued down this hallway and then made a right, another right, and then another left turn. Finally, he reached his destination.

Two soldiers guarded the glossy cherry wood door with brass handles. The young man approached them. "I request to see the General," he said meekly.

"It's regarding the trouble at the execution tonight. I was there. I can tell him exactly what happened," he continued.

The guards nodded to each other and opened the doors to the General's office. "What do you want?" an irritated voice asked upon the man's arrival.

"I was at the event tonight," he replied, "I saw the terrorists and I think I know who they are."

The General looked up from his work, obviously interested. "Go on boy," he said, "tell me."

"I think this has something to do with SPD."

The General laughed. "Nonsense!" he cried, "SPD has been long gone ever since this army has been in power. Did you not see us blow their base into oblivion?"

"I did sir," the young man replied, "but you have to understand! These terrorists, they had the suits, the technology, the weaponry, everything. No normal group of people could have accomplished that themselves. I'm begging you sir, please at least look into it. It's the only lead we have."

The General pondered the idea for a few moments. "Well alright," he said, "I guess it is the only answer we have so far. Would you mind helping me with an interrogation? I have a feeling there's someone here who knows quite a bit about SPD…"

**Author's Note: Ohhh! Cliffhanger! Well, almost I guess O.o I would really love some reviews on this so I know just how I am doing c: Let's just make it an early Christmas present, okay?**


End file.
